Autumn Days in Ventura [pp. 1-23]

A utzumn Days in Ventura.
under fragrant masses of wild clematis
and honeysuckle. The grass is thick
and green in this canion from spring to
spring, and gave indescribable delight to
our sun-wearied eyes.
From our elevation we looked down
on the solitary adobe house that had once
been the home of the swarthy herders
deserted, but the rest had newly-made
flower and grass plats, all watered in
common from an artesian well. There
was something uncanny about this lonely village, with its mathematical likeness
and precision, and its utter absence of
suburbs.
"A year ago," the Judge explained,
SLIII CREEK.
and shepherds of the De la Guerras.
Beyond this ancient casa extend the
level plains of the Simi valley, with its
magnificent girdle of mountains unclasped at the narrow opening of Las
Posas. Descending the ridge, we saw
the surveyors of the new railroad working near the base of sandstone cliffs.
Turning down a dusty road we passed
a salt grass flat, on whose upper border
there huddled a singular collection of
buildings. They were the exact counterpart of one another, with steep roofs,
walls cut up into sections, and doors and
windows set with painful lack of individuality. A few of these houses were
"some enterprising citizens of Chicago
sent out a representative to locate them
homes in California. This gentleman
liked the looks of these bright stretches
of salt grass, and wrote East that he had
secured an earthly paradise. The joyful
colonists, wishing to expedite matters,
shipped a score of houses in sections and
started immediately on their journey.
They had chosen the poorest portion of
the valley, as you can see by the thick
grain stubble on lands hardly half a mile
from their'Simiapolis.' Fortunately
they are enthusiastic over their homes,
and expect others to join them this fall."
We traveled for miles straight up an
[Jail.